Chapter 11: Events 1990 – 1994

1990: The Irish Futures
Society and our Esperanto Association of Ireland jointly arranged an
Esperanto conference on 20th April in Trinity College, Dublin. It
was very interesting and very well organised, but the number attending was
disappointing. Garbhan Mac Aoidh spoke about Esperanto to Rotary
International in Tullamore, and our Tullamore club took part in the
parade on St Patrick’s Day. Christopher Fettes attended the 50th Spanish Esperanto Congress in Catalonia. On Saturday 13th October some of our members held a street demonstration in Molesworth
Street in front of the Dublin Office of the European Union. An Esperanto
Exhibition was held in the Central Library, Dublin, and classes were held
in the Parnell Vocational School, Parnell Square. Twenty-eight articles
appeared in periodicals and newspapers.

1991: The Association
took part in four sections of the Festival of Languages in the City
Hall, Dublin, and our members showed their almost professional acting
talents. (Incidentally, the organisers were amazed when our group was the
only one that prepared its improvised sketch in the language that they
were to put on show, whilst all the other groups did their preparations in
English!)

Maire
Mullarney, Christopher Fettes and Liam Ó Cuirc attended the 76th World Esperanto Congress in Bergin, Norway. Christopher again organised
the Children’s Congress. The educational journal Authentik published long articles about Esperanto provided by Maire Mullarney. There
was a meeting between the Committee of EAI and Mr Harkin, of the
International Section of the Department of Education about the work of
UNESCO, UNESCO-clubs, and their relation to Esperanto. At this time the
Cafe Club moved to Galligan’s Cafe, 27 Westmoreland Street. In all 20
articles about Esperanto were published.

1992: There was the
first planting of a Peace Tree on Christopher Fettes’s farm. There was a
conference between our Association and the Irish Government about the
possible use of Esperanto in the preparatory work for Economic Development
of the Shannon Estuary. Maire Mullarney spoke at the Irish Association for
Applied Linguistics about “Gender in a Planned Language”. In Gluais there was a good article about Breandán O Mearáin and his plan to publish
“multilingual Irish dictionaries” that would use Esperanto as a bridging
language. Also two others of our members worked upon an Esperanto/Irish:
Irish/Esperanto dictionary. Dr Seán Ó Riain of the Department of Foreign
Affairs published an excellent article about Dr Hyde and Dr Zamenhof.

1993: Maire Mullarney and Máire & Garbhan Mac Aoidh attended the 78th World Esperanto Congress in Valencia, Spain. Christopher Fettes helped to
arrange the 28th Children’s Congress in the same country. The
Esperanto

Group in
Tullamore donated a box of Irish-language children’s books to the new
local Irish-language school.

For the
first time an Esperantist, Trevor Sargent, was elected to the Irish
Parliament. The Green Party supportively mentioned Esperanto in its
election manifesto. Somhairle Mac Aoidh now works at Esperantotur, Poland, and plans to lead a group from Poland to Ireland in 1994.

During
the period 1970 – 1994 we have organised an Annual General Meeting every
year; arranged classes; maintained a free correspondence course; published
an excellent periodical; helped the Esperanto movement in Africa; met
visiting Esperantists from abroad etc. The Dublin Café Club has met every
week but in various places. It is led at present by Lorcán Mac Meanmain
and Filip Ó Fathaigh.

This is
the end of the beginning of our history. About the future I shall say
only, in the two-word slogan of Zamenhof – Obstine antaŭen! [Obstinately forward – KK].